Drone Ensign: A Sci-fi LitRPG Story (Drone Rising Book 1) by Kyle Johnson

Author:Kyle Johnson [Johnson, Kyle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The days in the Oort Cloud passed swiftly and uneventfully as they traveled to Elenin Prime Station. The Cloud was almost terrifyingly empty, and while for the first day or so Benning had kept a sharp eye out for pirates or more mercenaries, Argus Leon assured her that wasn’t really necessary.

“There’s literally no way for anyone to know exactly where we exited our deep dive,” he assured her. “I didn’t even know exactly where we were coming out; quantum uncertainty means that the exit of any wormhole can’t be precisely predicted, and the farther you go, the more uncertain that is.”

“Someone could have been watching for the flash of our exit, though,” Benning pointed out. “We released as much radiation there as a gamma ray burst.”

“Sure, but they won’t bother. Unless they’re very, very lucky and have a ship within a light-hour or so that’s sitting motionless so we can’t see it, it’ll be anywhere from a few hours to a day before they read the flash, and they’ll need to have three readings of it to really pinpoint our location. At that point, we’re anywhere from a hundred thousand to a million mims from there without diving, just moving at a single tock.” He shook his head. “No, we’re fine until we get a day or so away from Elenin Station. Then, we’ll have to start being careful.”

“Someone would attack us near a station’s defenses?”

Leon snorted. “If they’ve paid for the privilege? Absolutely.”

“Wait, someone could pay the station to be allowed to attack incoming freighters?”

“Absolutely. The station makes money off the cargo no matter who brings it in, after all, so they don’t care much about ownership.”

Benning frowned. “Then why would anyone risk dealing with the Oort Cloud stations?”

“Well, there are a few reasons. First, there’s good money to be made out here. People will buy and sell almost anything, with practically no exceptions. Things like nanotech, illegal ‘net components and upgrades, unstable antimatter, and high-energy isotopes are prohibited items further starward, but out here, they can be bought and sold openly. Second, the stations are very careful who they allow to prey on freighters, so while someone might lose their cargo, they don’t lose their lives unnecessarily. Third, you can pay the station for protection, and then the pirates leave you alone.”

“So, you have to pay just to be able to safely approach a station?” Benning asked thoughtfully. “What about docking fees? Customs?”

“The Oort stations don’t charge any of that, and no taxes, either. They do take a percentage of all transactions performed in the station, and that’s all.”

Benning considered the matter for a few moments. “That’s actually – very reasonable,” she said at last.

“Oh?”

“Well, yes. I mean, it isn’t really all that different from the inner system, is it? There, you have to pay to have a license to move goods, to enter and dock at a station, and to bring your cargo onboard. You have to pay taxes on every transaction, as well. And if you don’t pay all that, your cargo or your ship can be seized, and you could be imprisoned.

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